The Monthly Movie Report – September 2023

September 29, 2023

Let’s start with some good news.  After almost five months, the Writers’ Guild of America’s strike has come to an end.  The union members settled their dispute with the movie and television studios, paving the way for the actors’ union to do the same, which will likely happen within the next month.  Industry reporters estimate that productions could begin as soon as Thanksgiving, but the writers are back to work now.  The bad news?  The disruption will have a big impact on the television and movie release schedule over the next few months, and into 2024.  But that’s ok, we still have plenty on our plate for the rest of 2023 in the movie world.

After a relatively slow August, things are starting to heat up.  We recently saw a number of highly-anticipated titles premiere at the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, with the New York Film Festival opening today.  The Oscar prognosticators are crafting their lists of who may score a nomination in early 2024.  With that in mind, the release schedule for the next few months is loaded, which is great for movie fans.  Let’s jump right in.

This Month’s Highlights

You’re Creeping Me Out – Talk to Me

Cheating a little bit here since I saw this one in late July, but it was too late to capture in that month’s post and last month was dedicated to Christopher Nolan.  But the timing here is perfect, as one of the best horror movies of 2023 is now available to rent from home, just in time for Halloween.  One of the nice things about an independent horror movie with no stars is that you have no idea what’s going to happen.  If there is a big star in the picture, you can pretty much guess that they are not in danger, which made the head-fake of killing Drew Barrymore’s character at the beginning of Scream a genius move.  But with no stars on the screen, every character is in danger and there are many plot options ahead of us.  Such is the case with this first recommendation.

Talk to Me is the debut film from Australian brothers Danny and Michael Philippou, best known for creating a popular YouTube channel.  The story centers on a cursed embalmed hand that allows people to connect with spirits, sometimes having the spirit take control of their body.  The main character is Mia, played by Sophie Wilde in a wonderful performance, still coping with the loss of her mother.  When she attends a party where people take turns connecting with spirits through the embalmed hand, Mia sees it as an opportunity to make contact with her mother.  As with most horror movies, things quickly spiral out of control.  I liked Talk to Me a lot and it continues a nice trend that film studio A24 has had with showcasing smaller movies that can reach a wide audience, given the talent of the filmmaker – movies like Hereditary, The Witch, and X come to mind.  Put this one on your shortlist for scary season.  Talk to Me is now available to rent on demand.

Speaking of Creepy – A Haunting in Venice

I’m on the record as being lukewarm on Kenneth Branagh’s filmmaking career.  I wasn’t a fan of Belfast, which won him an Oscar for writing the screenplay, and his first take at adapting an Agatha Christie novel (2017’s Murder on the Orient Express) was vastly inferior to the 1974 version directed by Sidney Lumet.  I thought last year’s Christie adaptation (Death on the Nile) was pretty good, despite some shoddy CGI effects.  So, I went in with tempered expectations to see the third adaptation, A Haunting in Venice, based on a novel I haven’t read.  The film was marketed as a horror movie, but is more of a suspense mystery.  It’s mildly scarier than a typical Christie story, but won’t scare the average viewer. 

Branagh once again stars as master sleuth Hercule Poirot, convinced by his long-time friend and mystery author Ariadne Oliver (played by Tina Fey in a winning performance) to join a séance on Halloween.  As the ceremony, led by Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, gets underway Poirot starts poking holes in the legitimacy of Yeoh’s abilities and soon after, a member of the party dies mysteriously.  Poirot is recruited to solve the mystery in a story that features the typical beats of a Christie story, but is helped by a few supernatural elements that fit nicely with the Halloween setting.  Overall, this was a pretty good movie and if you like these types of films, you’ll probably enjoy it.  A Haunting in Venice is now playing in theaters and will likely be available to rent on demand in the coming weeks.

Put Your Phone Down – No One Will Save You

One more scary pick for your Halloween season, this one available to stream from home.  We’ve seen alien invasion movies, and “there’s a killer stalking you in your house” movies, but this one combines the two genres together, with a screenplay choice that is bold, to say the least.  Kaitlyn Dever (quickly moving up the ranks of best young actors working today) stars as a seamstress living alone in a small town.  Early on, we learn that she has been seemingly ostracized by members of her community and one night she is visited by a terrifying alien.  When she tries to get out of town, she learns that there is a full-scale invasion happening and is forced back to her house to fight for her life. 

No One Will Save You is on the smaller-scale end of a studio film, so don’t look for ground-breaking special effects.  The aliens are passable, and the jump-scares and fight sequences between Dever and the aliens are very good.  But what makes this film so special is the choice by writer-director Brian Duffield to create a 90 minute movie with virtually no dialogue.  I can only think of one line that Dever speaks, which is towards the end of the picture when we learn the reason her community does not associate with her.  While this choice may seem like a gimmick, I think it works, and it’s entirely because Dever is fantastic in conveying the emotions of her character without being able to say a word.  I’m still undecided if I liked how the film ended, but I think Duffield created a story that was more than your typical “scary” movie – there are themes of grief and forgiveness that are explored in a very effective way.  I expect the reaction to this one will be divisive, but I liked it a lot and if you choose to watch it, put your phone down because you can’t follow this one by listening to the (non-existent) dialogue.  No One Will Save You is now streaming on Hulu.

A Biting Satire – Dumb Money

In early 2021, when we were all still spending way too much time online during the dark days of the pandemic, a group of internet warriors turned the stock market upside down for a few weeks by betting they could beat Wall Street at their own game.  The story of the GameStop “short squeeze” is depicted in Dumb Money, the new film from director Craig Gillespie (I, Tonya and Cruella).  The picture features a deep cast, led by Paul Dano as the leader of the group who invested in GameStop, creating a movement that was fueled by his YouTube videos and community posts on a Reddit message board.  Once the momentum took off, the hedge funds who shorted GameStop (betting the stock would go down) were suddenly faced with astronomical losses. 

It’s not easy making a good film about a recent event, since people remember what happened and don’t see the need to watch a fresh story depicted on the screen.  However, I think the reason Dumb Money works so well is that even though the event occurred less than three years ago, it happened so fast (it was over in about a month), and I don’t think the average person really understood what was going on at the time.  Once it was over, we moved on to the next story on the internet.  Gillespie does a nice job of telling the GameStop story through the lens of several people, including Dano’s character, the hedge fund leaders (Seth Rogen and Nick Offerman), and average investors (including America Ferreira).  As we bounce around through the ups and downs of the stock price, each of the character’s personal portfolio, and their reactions to each day’s events, it’s a lot of fun to see how it all played out.  Dumb Money is a very good popcorn movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, especially for a topic that impacted many people’s personal bank accounts by a lot of money.  It’s worth checking out if you’re in for a good laugh.  Dumb Money is now playing in theaters.

An Interesting True Story – Dreamin’ Wild

I hate having movies spoiled, so there is a fine line between learning just enough about a film to see if it will interest me, and crossing over the line to having the entire plot spoiled in a trailer.  All that I knew about Dreamin’ Wild was that it featured Casey Affleck as a musician who achieved some modest success with his brother.  As the film begins, we see that the story starts in 2008.  “That’s strange, I thought.  Why did the filmmaker choose to tell a story set 15 years ago?”  It turns out, I learned that this is the true story of Donnie and Joe Emerson, who played music together as teenagers, and recorded an album that was lost to time.  Almost thirty years later, a record collector found their collection of songs, and spread his love for the music via word of mouth, radio stations, and the internet.  Suddenly, the brothers gained a brief burst of notoriety, followed by some modest success. 

Dreamin’ Wild is a wonderful story that showcases not just the art of writing songs, but the love between two brothers and their parents, who made many financial sacrifices to support their sons’ passion projects.  Affleck is excellent as the conflicted brother who never gave up his love of music, but struggles playing with his brother, whose talents eroded after many years of not playing.  The film was written and directed by Bill Pohlad (whose 2014 film about Brian Wilson, Love & Mercy, is excellent) and features strong supporting performances from Walton Goggins as Joe, Beau Bridges as the boys’ father, and Zooey Deschanel as Donnie’s wife and business partner.  If you’re looking for a nice film to watch from home on a Friday night, check out Dreamin’ Wild, which is now available to rent on demand.

Oldies but Goodies

Before we move to October’s preview, a quick diversion.  In addition to seeing a number of new releases, I sometimes check out older films that get re-released in theaters.  There’s nothing like seeing a classic on the big screen.  I’ve been fortunate this year to see some great ones in a theater – American Graffiti, Inglourious Basterds, and Goodfellas to name a few.  Most of the time I see these movies alone (as I am a lunatic), but my sister joined me this past month to see La La Land on the big screen.  Although I’ve seen that movie many times, it was the first time I watched it in a theater since its release seven years ago.  Let me tell you, the pure joy of watching the way director Damien Chazelle moved the camera during those musical sequences on a big screen was incredible, and it was great to experience a fun movie with my sister.  Unfortunately, she won’t be able to join me at The Exorcist this weekend.  Strike that – there’s no way in hell (pun intended) she would join me for that one.  The joy of La La Land was the right fit for her.  Speaking of joy…

Earlier this year, film studio A24 announced that they would be restoring Stop Making Sense, considered the best concert film of all-time, and releasing it in theaters at some point this year.  I immediately texted my friend Jean, who I knew was a diehard fan of the Talking Heads.  I am also indebted to her for recommending David Byrne’s American Utopia, which I have watched several times on HBO Max.  Over the last several months, I’ve been waiting and waiting to see when Stop Making Sense would be released, and this past month it finally arrived.  I texted Jean and told her it would be out soon and she responded that she was seeing it a few days later.  I kind of forgot about that exchange while driving to the theater earlier this week and guess who I ran into?  It was fantastic to share a laugh over picking the same showtime and seeing each other for the first time in a few years.  After the film (a glorious experience, especially on an IMAX screen), we chatted for a few minutes and she said that what she loves so much about Stop Making Sense is watching the pure joy of the musicians on screen.  I couldn’t have said it better myself.  My one piece of advice this month – spend 90 minutes of your time and go see Stop Making Sense in a theater – it will only be there for a little while longer. 

Coming Attractions

Buckle up, because we’ve got some bangers coming next month.  Let’s start with a blast from the past.

The Exorcist: Believer –  If you were confused by the timeline of the recent Halloween movies and how they fit into the original film, I’m sorry to tell you that we have a similar situation brewing with The Exorcist.  It’s not a coincidence that the newest installment is being described as a direct sequel to the 1973 original and is directed by David Gordon Green, who also oversaw the recent Halloween trilogy.  In fact, The Exorcist: Believer will start a new trilogy of films, all of which will be directed by Green.  The new installment centers on two girls who disappear and begin displaying very disturbing behavior when they return home.  When the parents try to find someone who has experienced something similar, they naturally encounter Chris MacNeil, the mother in the first film portrayed by Ellen Burstyn, reprising her role from the original.  The trailer for this one looks scary, but I’m not sure if the movie itself will be good.  But I’m willing to give it a try.  The Exorcist: Believer premieres in theaters on October 6^th.  Wait a minute, why not open a horror movie the following weekend, when Friday October 13^th is sitting right there on the calendar?  Well, that was the original release date until a certain superstar planted her flag on that date with her own mega-event.  Let’s go there next.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Concert Film – She’s already dominating music streaming.  She broke the primary AND secondary ticket markets for her record-setting tour.  Her attendance at an NFL game this past weekend broke the internet.  Why not disrupt the movie business while you are at it?  On August 31^st, Taylor Swift announced that a concert film of her recent tour would be released in theaters.  The film was recorded during her recent six night stand at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles, and clocks in at almost three hours, meaning there are likely no songs cut from the standard set.  Less than twelve hours later, Jason Blum (producer of The Exorcist: Believer) tweeted that they were moving the release of his film a week earlier, to avoid a showdown with the Swiftie Army.  Despite calls for an “Exorswift” event a la Barbenheimer, Blum decided it was best to get out of the way.  As I commented on a Facebook post that day, “The power of Taylor compels you!”  If you know, you know.

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Swift’s music and her concert that I saw back in May was probably the best show I’ve ever seen.  The story behind how this deal came together is pretty impressive.  Swift’s company financed the production of the movie and contacted various studios about partnering to distribute the movie.  The studio would work out the terms with the theater chains and pay for the marketing of the film.  Not satisfied with the reaction from the studios, Swift’s team decided to negotiate directly with the theaters.  They cut a deal with AMC, worked up a distribution agreement with the other major theater chains, as well as smaller theaters and made the announcement.  Think Swift needed promotion from a movie studio like Disney or Warner Bros. Studios?  Pleeeeassse.  All she had to do was post the announcement for her social media followers and AMC’s website started experiencing delays right as tickets went on sale. 

I’m ecstatic that we are getting a film of the tour so quickly (Swift will tour for another year, heading to South America, Asia and Europe, before heading back to the U.S. next fall), that we will (likely) be getting the whole show, and that we can see it on the big screen.  You better believe that my daughter and I already have tickets for the first weekend and we can’t wait.  In case you are wondering when this will be available at home, it’s still unclear.  The deal Swift negotiated with AMC stipulates that the movie will run Thursday – Sunday each week until at least early November and a digital / streaming release cannot happen for thirteen weeks, putting us at mid-January, at the earliest.  I would expect a digital rental / sale period, before the film appears on a streaming service, depending on who wins the rights for it.  But you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy the concert event of the year on the big screen.  Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Concert Film premieres in theaters on October 13^th. 

Two picks for Spooky Season – Saw X and Pet Sematary: Bloodlines – If you’ve never gotten tired of the Saw franchise or remember the original with fondness, this one might be for you.  The tenth film in the series (hence the name) is actually being described as a direct sequel to the first movie, with the events taking place before Saw II (does anyone really remember what happens in each of these movies?  Yeah, me neither).  Early reviews have been positive and if you want to see serial torturer Jigsaw have his kind of fun with victims, Saw X premieres in theaters today.  If you were a fan of the original Stephen King novel and / or film Pet Sematary from the early 1980s, you might be interested in the prequel story that is coming next month.  There was actually a remake of the 1989 movie released in 2019, and this new installment is set 50 years earlier where we learn how Jud Crandall (the old man in the original) discovered the Pet Sematary without knowing the hell it could unleash.  It’s unclear if this one will be good because it’s not getting a theatrical release (usually every horror movie does well in theaters), so I’m on the fence if this one will be worth checking out.  If you are interested, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines premieres on Paramount+ on October 6^th.

Something a Little Lighter – Flora and Son – Let’s move on from scary season to a film that might play better for date night.  Director John Carney has a genre that he clearly loves – musical comedy-dramas.  His 2007 picture Once is a lovely tale of a musician and singer who fall in love and was one of my favorites from that year.  He has also directed two other critically-acclaimed movies (Begin Again and the wonderful crowd-pleaser Sing Street) that feature winning storylines surrounded by music.  Carney is back this year with Flora and Son, about a single mother who buys her troubled son a guitar, in the hopes that he will find some inspiration through music to get his life back on track.  Flora and Son premiered to strong reviews at the Sundance Film Festival, and was quickly acquired by Apple.  Here’s the great thing about streaming – you can watch the film today from the comfort of your home.  Flora and Son is now streaming on Apple TV+.

The Highlight of the Month (Maybe the Year) – Killers of the Flower Moon – I’ve had this one circled for six years, ever since Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro joined up to adapt David Gann’s brilliant nonfiction book released in 2017.  Killers of the Flower Moon centers on the Osage Native American tribe of Oklahoma that suffered a series of mysterious deaths in the 1920s.  The crimes were investigated by a Federal organization that would eventually become the FBI.  The book was a nice complementary story of the investigation, the members of the tribe, and residents of the neighboring communities. 

When production of the film began, we learned that DiCaprio had decided that he was too old to play the lead investigator and would take a supporting role.  He encouraged Scorsese to cast Jesse Plemons in the lead role, with De Niro also on board in a supporting role as DiCaprio’s uncle.  As it turned out, Scorsese decided that the early draft of the script was too focused on the criminals and not enough on the Osage community.  This led to a more prominent role for DiCaprio as the husband of a member of the tribe, played by Lily Gladstone, who is receiving rave reviews for her performance and is well on her way to a likely Oscar nomination.

The trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon has been out for a few months now and it’s safe to say that Scorsese has created another masterpiece.  The picture premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to very strong reviews, especially for the director’s vision, story structure, cinematography, score (the last composition by frequent Scorsese collaborator Robbie Robertson, who recently passed away), and the lead performances.  One criticism that has arisen over the last few months is the picture’s runtime, so buyer beware of this fact – the film runs about 3 ½ hours.  Yes, that’s a long time to sit in the theater, but if I’m going to see a new Scorsese picture on an IMAX screen, I’ll take all that I can get.  After all, Marty doesn’t have that many more projects ahead of him.  If you’d rather wait to watch it at home, it will be streaming on Apple TV+, likely later this year.  Killers of the Flower Moon premieres in theaters on October 20^th.

That’s all for this month’s report.  I’ll be back next month with more highlights from the movie world.  Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe below.